News from the Art World

Our favourite booths at FIAC 2018

Today, the FIAC kicked off its 45th edition and of course, the Artsper team went to have a look… and we’re reporting back on our favourite gallery booths spotted at the fair.

303 Gallery, Fiac 2018

The Minimalist one: 303 Gallery (New York)

This year, the New York gallery is presenting a solo show by conceptual artist Alicja Wade. The artist’s installation is visually paired back and minimal but it doesn’t shy away from tackling big ideas: our understanding of time and space. A few tree trunks, steel structures and cleverly placed mirrors create a surprising sculpture where onlookers can watch visitors disappear momentarily before reappearing again along with their reflection.

Richard Saltoun, Fiac 2018 (ⓒ Richard Saltoun)

The Duo Show: Richard Saltoun (Londres)

The London gallery located in the south-east gallery of the Grand Palais presents a striking black and white duo show by two Russian artists. Richard Saltoun shows a diverse body of work by Alexander Brodsky including sculptures, etchings and drawings, inspired by his career as an architect. Brodsky shares the booth with photographs by the Vkhoutemas school, often called the “Soviet Bauhaus”.

Gmurzynska gallery, Fiac 2018

The Attention Seeking One: La Gmurzynska gallery (Zurich)

This one is impossible to miss: bright red walls and aluminum floors, gallery staff wearing « fire unit » badges pinned to their chest… the Gmurzynska gallery transformed itself into a fire station. A huge sculpture made of gas cylinders sits proudly in the centre. A daring move but we think they’ve pulled it off, it made for a very welcome change from all the white walls.

The Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou got an entire wall dedicated to his work, with several paintings and photographs integrated into a panelling of woven wood. Standing along the wall there were a number of small sculptures, mixing wood, glass, fabrics and jewelry. These unconventional totems (one even wears a pizza on its head!) are modern idols mixing high and low, new and old culture in an intriguing and entertaining way. They are representative of his protean work and influenced by his life as a nomadic artist.

David Kordansky, Fiac 2018

The Calming one: David Kordansky (Los Angeles)

We don’t really know how to explain it, but David Kordansky’s stand seemed made us feel calmer. A peaceful oasis in the ongoing hustle and bustle, it helped us forget the noise and and the visual overload. The installations are aesthetically interesting, intriguing and original: basically what contemporary art should be. We fell hard for a stacked pile of colourful heads with flashing lightbulbs (it’s even better in real life) and sculptures of human organs that double as bells (yes, really!).